HK1165969A1 - Beverage cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A method, system and cartridge (10) for forming a beverage includes a cartridge (10) having a container (12) defining an interior space (14), a lid (38), a filter (30), a flow distributor (33) and a beverage medium (20) contained in the interior space (14). The filter (30) may be attached to the lid (38) only, and extend into the interior space (14) to separate first and second chambers (14a, 14b) of the cartridge (10). The lid (38) may be pierced in a first portion for introducing liquid into the first chamber (14a) and in a second portion for removing the beverage from the cartridge (10) while the cartridge (10) is positioned with the lid (38) above the container (12). The filter may hold the beverage medium and be arranged so that by peeling the lid from the container, the filter and beverage medium are removed together with the lid.

Description

Beverage barrel

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a beverage cartridge for a beverage forming system, such as a disposable coffee maker.

Background

Cartridges for beverage forming machines are well known and may include one or more filters and beverage media such as ground coffee beans, tea leaves, and the like. In some kegs, the filter is located between two or more parts of the interior space of the keg, for example between a part provided with the beverage medium and a second part into which liquid that has passed through the filter can flow. One example of such a cartridge is disclosed in U.S. patent 5,840,189 and/or U.S. patent 6,607,762, which may be used in a beverage making machine like that described in U.S. patent 7,398,726. (U.S. patents 5,840,189, 6,607,762, and 7,398,726 are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.) in use, a beverage forming machine introduces a fluid into a cartridge to interact with a beverage medium. In some machines, the piercing outlet needle of the machine is used to pierce a surface of the cartridge (e.g., a bottom wall or lid of a cartridge container), allowing liquid that has interacted with the beverage medium to flow through the filter and out of the cartridge.

Disclosure of Invention

The inventors have realised that many beverage cartridges do not allow for convenient separation of the beverage cartridge components after use, for example for recycling and/or synthesis. For example, commonly available beverage cartridges include metal parts (such as foil), polymer parts (such as polystyrene, polypropylene, EVOH, polyethylene and others), paper parts (such as porous filter paper) and/or organic plant material components (such as ground coffee or tea). Metal and/or polymer components are typically included to maintain the quality of the beverage medium contained within the cartridge, such as to protect the coffee grounds or tea leaves from moisture, oxidation, or other environmental conditions that may compromise the ability of the beverage medium to form a good quality beverage. Thus, many sealed beverage cartridges are capable of keeping coffee grounds, tea leaves, or other ingredients fresh for weeks or months. In contrast, porous or permeable containers such as conventional tea bag type devices or coffee makers are not able to maintain the freshness of coffee for more than a few days or a week, even if the roast and ground coffee is exposed to the relatively benign conditions of a typical cabinet. While effective in maintaining freshness of the beverage medium, the manner in which the components of the impermeable beverage cartridge are constructed often makes separation of the components difficult and/or messy. For example, in some coffee cartridges, attempts to remove the coffee grounds for synthesis after use of the cartridge may cause the coffee grounds to disperse or otherwise fall out uncontrollably. This prevents many users from recycling or synthesizing the drum components, even if the components are conveniently degradable or recyclable.

The inventors have developed methods and apparatus for making and using beverage kegs that, at least in certain embodiments, allow for more convenient and well-defined separation of at least certain components of the kegs. For example, according to one aspect of the invention, a cartridge including a container and a foil lid covering an opening of the container may have a filter attached to the lid such that removal of the lid from the container also removes the filter along with the lid and used coffee grounds or other beverage medium. Thus, after using the cartridge to form a beverage, the user may tear the lid from the container to remove not only the lid, but also the filter and coffee grounds. Since the coffee powder can be contained in the filter, the powder can be better contained, reducing any possible mess that may form during the separation process. With a separate lid, the container can be recycled or synthesized, for example the container can be made of a recyclable and/or synthetic polymer that must be separated from the foil lid and other components for proper recycling. Similarly, the separated coffee grounds or other beverage medium may be synthesized or recovered in other ways.

Aspects of the present invention also provide a beverage cartridge that allows both an inlet opening and an outlet opening to be pierced in the lid of the cartridge while having a simplified internal structure. Certain prior barrel structures, such as those described in U.S. patent 6,607,762 or U.S. patent 7,607,385, allow piercing of the inlet and outlet have relatively complex internal structures and/or container arrangements. For example, in one illustrative embodiment, a cartridge according to aspects of the invention may include a simple cup-shaped container, a cup-shaped filter, and a flat lid, while allowing the inlet and outlet openings to be formed in the lid. In this embodiment, no complex structure is required for either the container, filter or lid. Rather, a simple filter may be attached only to the lid, and the lid only to the container, so that separation of these components after use is relatively simple.

In an illustrative embodiment, a keg for forming a beverage includes a container having an interior space, a rim attached to the container and defining an opening to the interior space, and a lid attached to the rim and closing/closing the opening of the container. A filter may be attached to the lid at a perimeter located away from the rim, the filter extending from the perimeter into the interior space and separating the first chamber from the second chamber within the interior space. The filter may not be attached to the container, for example, in an area remote from the rim. A beverage medium may be located within the interior space and arranged to interact with a liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage. For example, the beverage medium may be located in the first chamber such that liquid that interacts with the medium to form the beverage may flow through the filter and into the second chamber. The lid may have a first portion pierceable by a beverage machine to allow pressurized liquid to flow into the interior space to form a beverage. In some arrangements, the lid may have a second portion that is pierceable by the beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber. For example, the first portion may be located at the center of the lid and within the perimeter, and the second portion may have an annular shape surrounding the first portion. In another arrangement, the container may have a surface at, for example, the bottom of the container arranged to be pierced by the beverage machine to allow beverage to exit the interior space from the bottom of the container.

The cartridge may comprise beverage medium in the first chamber and/or the second chamber. For example, the cartridge may include roast and ground coffee in a first chamber and creamer in a second chamber, enabling the cartridge to form a creamer-coffee beverage. The flow distributor may be located between the first portion of the lid and the beverage medium, for example to assist in preventing the fluid inlet from contacting the beverage medium located within the first chamber. This may help prevent soiling of the liquid inlet which may result if the beverage medium is allowed to contact the inlet.

The bucket may have a variety of different arrangements, for example the container may have a frusto-conical shape with a side wall and a bottom, the filter may have a trough or conical shape, and the filter may be attached to the lid only. The lid may be manually peelable from the rim such that the filter and beverage medium (if within the filter) can be removed from the container with the lid when the lid is removed from the rim. In another embodiment, the container may have a sidewall with a spout feature that, for example, helps direct the beverage within the cartridge to the outlet and/or assists the user in peeling the lid off the rim.

In another illustrative embodiment, a method of forming a beverage includes: providing a barrel having: the filter includes a container with an interior space having a first chamber and a second chamber, a rim defining an opening into the interior space, a lid attached to the rim and closing the container opening, and a filter attached to the lid at a perimeter spaced inwardly from the rim and away from the rim. The filter may extend from the perimeter into the interior space and separate the first chamber from the second chamber, e.g., such that liquid within the first chamber must flow through the permeable portion of the filter to enter the second chamber. A beverage medium may be positioned within the interior space and interact with the liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage. The lid may be pierced near the center of the lid and away from the rim to form a first opening to the first chamber, and liquid may be introduced into the first chamber through the first opening. The beverage may be formed by the liquid interacting with the beverage medium, and the lid may be pierced to form a second opening to the second chamber, and the beverage is withdrawn from the cartridge through the second opening.

The method may also include additional steps including engaging the rim with a clamping mechanism prior to introducing the liquid into the first chamber. This may allow the beverage machine to securely hold the cartridge and form a seal with the cartridge to prevent leakage of the beverage. In an embodiment, the lid may be pierced to form a third opening to vent the interior space, e.g., to allow filling of the cartridge with liquid and/or draining of beverage from the cartridge. The lid may be generally flat and positioned in a downward facing orientation, such as with the container above the lid and the lid in a plane transverse to the horizontal plane. In one embodiment, the plane is angled from about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees from horizontal. The inverted orientation of the cartridge may help to better wet the beverage medium and/or assist in draining the beverage from the cartridge. For example, a first opening for introducing liquid into the keg may be positioned above a second opening where the beverage is drained from the keg.

In yet another embodiment, a method of making a cartridge for a beverage brewing machine, comprises: providing a container having an interior space and a rim defining an opening into the interior space; attaching a filter to the lid at the perimeter; and attaching a lid to the rim to close the opening after the filter is attached to the lid. The filter may be attached to the lid such that the perimeter is spaced apart from the rim and the filter extends from the perimeter into the interior space and separates the first chamber from the second chamber within the interior space. The beverage medium may be provided into the inner space, e.g. in the first chamber and/or the second chamber, and arranged to interact with a liquid introduced into the container to form the beverage. The lid may have first and second portions pierceable by the beverage machine to respectively allow liquid to flow into the first chamber to form the beverage and to allow the beverage to flow out of the second chamber.

In another embodiment, a beverage system may include a beverage machine comprising: a cartridge receiver arranged to receive a cartridge; a fluid inlet arranged to introduce liquid into the barrel via a first opening therein; and a fluid outlet arranged to receive beverage from the keg via the second opening in the keg. The cartridge may be arranged to be received by a cartridge receiver of a beverage machine and comprise: a container having an interior space and a rim defining an opening to the interior space; a lid attached to the rim and closing the opening of the container; and a filter attached to the lid at a perimeter located away from the rim. The filter may extend from the perimeter into the interior space and separate the first chamber from the second chamber within the interior space. A beverage medium may be located within the interior space and arranged to interact with a liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage. The lid may have a first portion pierceable by the beverage machine to allow fluid to flow into the first chamber via the fluid inlet to form a beverage, and a second portion pierceable by the beverage machine to allow beverage to flow out of the cartridge to the fluid outlet. The beverage machine may comprise a clamping mechanism cooperating with the rim of the keg and/or a vent opening venting the inner space of the keg via a third opening in the lid. The lid may be substantially flat and the cartridge receiver may be arranged to position the lid in a downward facing orientation with the container above the lid and the lid in a plane transverse to the horizontal plane, e.g. such that the fluid inlet is positioned above the fluid outlet.

In another embodiment, a cartridge for forming a beverage may include a container having an interior space, a rim attached to the container and defining an opening to the interior space, a lid attached to the rim and closing the opening of the container, and a flow distributor attached to the lid at a perimeter located away from the rim. The flow distributor may extend from the perimeter into the interior space and separate a first region within the flow distributor from a second region within the interior space. The flow distributor may not be attached to the container and arranged to alter the flow of fluid introduced into the first region. The beverage medium may be comprised in the inner space (e.g. in the second region) and arranged to interact with a liquid introduced into the container to form the beverage. The lid may have a first portion pierceable by the beverage machine to allow liquid to flow into the first region and a second portion pierceable by the beverage machine to allow beverage to flow out of the cartridge. In an embodiment, the filter may be attached to the lid at a filter perimeter located away from the rim such that the filter extends from the filter perimeter into the interior space and separates the first chamber from the second chamber within the interior space. A flow distributor may be located within the first chamber, for example, to help distribute the flow of liquid over the beverage medium.

In an embodiment, the tub may further comprise a filter attached to the lid at a filter border located away from the rim. The filter may extend from the filter perimeter into the interior space and separate the first chamber from the second chamber within the interior space. The beverage medium may be within the first chamber (and/or the second chamber) and the flow distributor may be located between the first portion of the lid and the beverage medium, for example to help distribute the incoming liquid relative to the beverage medium. The lid may be peelable from the rim by hand, and the filter and flow distributor may be attached to the lid such that the filter, flow distributor and beverage medium can be removed from the container with the lid when the lid is removed from the rim.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

Drawings

Aspects of the invention are described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a bucket according to aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the cartridge of FIG. 1 after a surface of the cartridge has been pierced by a piercing element;

FIG. 4 shows a side cross-sectional view of the bucket of FIG. 1 with the lid oriented upside down below the container, and in a plane transverse to the horizontal plane;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of another exemplary embodiment of a bucket in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a bucket in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a bucket in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a bucket in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a bucket in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a beverage machine that may be used in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of components of an infusion chamber of a beverage machine in an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of components of a beverage machine usable in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates steps of a method of manufacturing a bucket according to aspects of the present invention; and

figure 14 illustrates steps of a method of preparing a beverage according to aspects of the invention.

Detailed Description

It should be understood that aspects of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show illustrative embodiments. The illustrative embodiments described herein do not necessarily show all embodiments in accordance with the invention, but are used to describe a few illustrative embodiments. Thus, aspects of the invention are not meant to be construed narrowly in view of the illustrative embodiments. Further, it should be understood that aspects of the invention may be used alone or in any suitable combination with other aspects of the invention.

Fig. 1 and 2 show a side cross-sectional view and an exploded perspective view, respectively, of an illustrative bucket 10 incorporating one or more aspects of the present invention. The cartridge 10 may be used in a beverage machine to form any suitable beverage, such as tea, coffee or other brewed beverages, beverages formed from liquid or powdered concentrates, and the like. Accordingly, the cartridge 10 may contain any suitable beverage medium 20, such as coffee powder, tea leaves, dry herbal tea, powdered beverage concentrates, dry fruit extracts or powders, powdered or liquid concentrated broths or other soups, powdered or liquid medicinal materials (such as powdered vitamins, pharmaceuticals or other pharmaceuticals, nutrients, etc.), and/or other beverage forming materials (such as milk or other creams, sweeteners, thickeners, flavorings, etc.). In an illustrative embodiment, the cartridge 10 contains a beverage medium 20 and is configured for use in a machine for forming coffee and/or tea beverages, although aspects of the invention are not limited in this respect.

In the illustrative embodiment, the cartridge 10 includes a container 12, the container 12 including an interior space having a first chamber 14a and a second chamber 14b separated by a filter 30. However, it should be understood that other additional chambers and/or sub-portions or regions of the first and second chambers within the interior space may be provided in other embodiments. For example, the bucket may have three spaces separated by two filters (e.g., a first filter separates two portions of a first chamber, and a second filter separates the first and second chambers), etc. In another embodiment, the first chamber or the second chamber may be divided into two parts by a venturi tube or other structure that introduces air into the beverage. Thus, the first and/or second chambers may be separated or otherwise divided into two or more portions or regions by filters, walls, partitions, channels, and other structures.

In this embodiment, the container 12 may have a frustoconical cup shape with a sidewall 17 and an opening 13. However, in other embodiments, the container 12 may have a trough, conical, or cylindrical shape, may be in the form of a square or rectangular cup, a domed cup, a spherical or hemispherical shape, or other suitable form, may have side walls that are trough, corrugated, or other shapes, and the like. Furthermore, the container 12 need not have a defined shape, as is the case with certain beverage pouches and cartridges. For example, while in this embodiment the container 12 has a relatively rigid and/or resilient structure such that the container 12 tends to maintain its shape, the container 12 may be made to have a more compliant and/or deformable structure, such as, for example, a pouch-like container made from a deformable sheet of material. Thus, the interior space defined by the container 12 may be formed only after forming the container material around the beverage medium, filter, and/or other cartridge components, similar to when two filter paper layers (container materials) are joined together around a coffee grounds pad to form a cartridge or other cartridge form.

If the container 12 includes an opening 13, the opening 13 may be closed by a lid 38, such as a foil and polymer laminate material, attached to the rim 19 of the container 12. (although in this embodiment rim 19 is arranged as an annular flange-like member, rim 19 may be arranged in other ways. for example, rim 19 may be the top edge of sidewall 17 without any flange members.) container 12 and/or lid 38 may provide a barrier for moisture and/or gases such as oxygen. For example, the container 12 may be made from a polymer laminate formed, for example, from a sheet material including a layer of polystyrene or polypropylene and a layer of EVOH and/or other barrier materials such as metal foil. Such a configuration may provide suitable protection for the beverage medium 20, for example, from undesirable exposure to moisture, oxygen, and/or other materials. However, it should be understood that the container 12 and/or the lid 38 may be made of other materials or combinations of materials, such as biopolymers, synthesizable polymers, paper, foil, and the like.

According to one aspect of the invention, the filter 30 may be attached to the lid 38 at a perimeter 32, the perimeter 32 being spaced inwardly from the rim 19 and away from the rim 19. Further, the filter 30 may extend from the perimeter 32 at least partially into the interior space 14. As described above, the filter 30 can be disposed between the first chamber 14a and the second chamber 14b of the interior space 14 such that liquid within the first chamber 14a of the interior space (e.g., liquid that interacts with the beverage medium 20) flows through the filter 30 and toward the second chamber 14b of the interior space 14, and then out of the container 12. The filter 30 may be used to remove material from the liquid that exceeds a certain size, for example coffee grounds may be removed from the liquid in the first chamber 14a, allowing the coffee beverage to pass through the filter 30 to the second chamber 14 b. For example, the filter may include a piece of filter paper arranged to allow liquid and sized dissolved and/or suspended materials to pass through, while preventing relatively large particles from flowing through the filter. Of course, the filter 30 may have multiple levels, such as a coarse filter portion that filters out relatively large particles followed by a fine filter portion that filters relatively small particles, and so on. Further, the filter 30 may include one or more portions for filtering liquid passing through the filter 30, as well as portions that are impermeable or otherwise restrict flow. Thus, the filter 30 may comprise two or more separate components, if desired. For example, the filter 30 may include a rigid impermeable plastic sleeve attached to the cover 38 at the perimeter 32. A porous filter paper may be attached to the sleeve at a location remote from the cap 38. Thus, not all parts of the filter need to be permeable to liquid. The filter 30 may also have regions of different permeability, for example, to help direct flow toward one or more regions of the filter 30. For example, the area of the filter 30 in fig. 1 near the cover 38 may have a relatively low permeability compared to the area further from the cover 38. This may help to promote the flow of the beverage medium 20 toward the lower region of the filter 30, possibly enhancing the dissolution of the material within the medium 20 within the liquid.

The filter 30 may also, or alternatively, be used to help prevent material from moving from the second chamber 14b to the first chamber 14 a. For example, the cartridge 10 may include the beverage medium 20 in the second chamber 14b and no beverage medium 20 in the first chamber 14 a. In this case, the filter 30 may help prevent the beverage medium 20 from contacting a needle or other liquid inlet that pierces the lid 38 to introduce water or other liquid into the cartridge 10. For example, certain beverage media 20, such as powdered beverage mixes, may clog or otherwise foul the inlet needle if contact with the needle is allowed. The filter 30 may help prevent such contact, helping to maintain proper operation of the cartridge and preparing the beverage.

In certain embodiments, the filter 30 may be the only component within the interior space 14 that separates the first chamber 14a from the second chamber 14b (as shown in the embodiments of fig. 1-3). In other constructions, other components, such as walls, ribs, or other structures, in addition to the filter 30, may actually separate two or more portions of the interior space 14 from one another. However, regardless of the filter arrangement, the permeable portion of the filter 30 may be the only component that separates or separates two or more portions of the interior space 14 in a flow sense (e.g., liquid may need to flow through the permeable portion of the filter 30 to pass from the first chamber 14a to the second chamber 14 b).

In an illustrative embodiment, the filter 30 may have a generally frustoconical shape with fluted or pleated sidewalls and a generally flat bottom 31, as shown. However, the filter 30 may have any suitable shape, such as a cylinder, square cup, dome, flat sheet, or other shape. The filter 30 may be attached to the cover 38 in any suitable manner, such as by adhesive, thermal welding, ultrasonic welding, chemical bonding, crimping or other mechanical bonding, and the like. As will be appreciated, the shape of the perimeter 32 may depend at least on the shape of the filter at least at the upper end of the filter 30. In this embodiment, the perimeter 32 has a circular shape, but oval, rectangular, triangular, irregular, or other shapes are also possible. In this illustrative embodiment, the filter 30 may comprise a permeable filter paper made of a combination of polypropylene and cellulose materials and may be attached to the lid 38 at an upper portion of the filter 30 by thermal welding. As seen in fig. 1-3, the upper portion of filter 30 attached to cover 38 may have an annular or gasket-like shape extending radially outward (or inward in other embodiments) from perimeter 32, although such radial extension is not necessarily required. In certain embodiments, the portion of the filter attached to the cover 38 may extend radially outward from the perimeter to the rim 19 and above the rim 19 such that a portion of the filter 30 is sandwiched between the cover 38 and the rim 19.

When the cartridge 10 is used to form a beverage, the lid 38 and/or container may be pierced to introduce liquid into the cartridge and receive the beverage from the cartridge. (As used herein, "beverage" refers to a liquid substance formed for drinking when the liquid interacts with a beverage medium. thus, beverage refers to a liquid ready for consumption, e.g., a liquid that is dispensed into a cup and ready for drinking, as well as subjected to other processes or treatments prior to consumption, such as filtering or adding flavorings, creams, sweeteners, other beverages, etc..) in order to introduce liquid into the cartridge, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a portion of the lid 38 generally surrounded by the perimeter 32 may be pierced by an inlet piercing member 50 (e.g., a needle) so that water or other liquid may be injected into the cartridge 10. Other inlet piercing structures are also possible, such as multiple needles, jets, non-hollow needles, cones, pyramids, knives, blades, and the like. Beverage machines using cartridges may include multiple piercing members of the same type or different types, although the invention is not limited in this respect. In other constructions, the beverage machine may include a piercing member (such as a spike) that forms an opening, and thereafter a second inlet member (such as a tube) may be passed through the formed aperture to introduce liquid into the container (or to direct liquid out of the container). In other embodiments, the cap 38 may be pierced or otherwise effectively opened for flow by the introduction of pressure external to the cap 38. For example, the water inlet may be pressed into and sealed to the exterior of the cap 38, where water pressure is introduced. The water pressure may cause the lid 38 to be pierced or otherwise opened to allow fluid flow into the cartridge 10. In other arrangements, the cover 38 may include a valve, conduit, or other structure that opens when exposed to an appropriate pressure and/or when mated with a water inlet tube or other structure.

The cartridge 10 may also be pierced by an outlet piercing member 52 (e.g., a needle) at the bottom 16 of the container 12, or at a second portion of the lid 38 outside the perimeter 32 and separate from the inlet opening. As with the inlet piercing structure, the outlet piercing structure may also be varied in any suitable manner. Thus, outlet piercing member 52 may comprise one or more hollow or solid needles, knives, blades, tubes, or the like. Alternatively, the cartridge 10 may include a valve, diaphragm, or other member that opens when liquid is introduced into the cartridge to allow beverage to drain but otherwise remains closed (e.g., to protect the beverage medium from external conditions such as oxygen, moisture, or others). In this case, although it may be used, it is not necessary to have a piercing member for forming the outlet opening, for example to allow the valve or other member to open. Further, in this illustrative embodiment, the piercing member 52 remains in place to receive the beverage as it exits the opening formed in the container 12 or lid 38. However, in other embodiments, the piercing member 52 may be withdrawn after the opening is formed, allowing the beverage to exit the opening and be received without the piercing member 52 extending into the cartridge 10.

In another aspect of the invention, the cartridge may include a member that helps distribute liquid introduced into the cartridge to the beverage medium and/or helps prevent the fluid inlet from contacting the beverage medium. In the illustrative embodiment shown in fig. 1-3, the cartridge includes a flow distributor 33 positioned between the inlet 50 and the beverage medium 20. In this embodiment, the flow distributor 33 serves to help the incoming flow of water or other liquid more evenly wet the beverage medium 20 and to help prevent the inlet 50 from coming into contact with the beverage medium. Of course, it is not required that both functions be performed simultaneously, e.g. the flow distributor 33 may influence the flow of liquid into the keg, but does not prevent beverage medium from coming into contact with the inlet. More uniform wetting or other flow control of the beverage medium 20 may assist the cartridge in forming the desired beverage, for example, by more completely dissolving material within the beverage medium 20, by improving extraction of soluble or insoluble substances from the beverage medium 20, by increasing the flow of beverage through a filter, and the like. Reducing contact of the beverage medium 20 with the inlet 50 helps reduce the likelihood of inlet blockage and/or leaving a portion of the beverage medium on the inlet 50 (which can affect the taste of the next beverage formed when the inlet 50 pierces a different cartridge having a different type of beverage medium).

In the illustrative embodiment, the flow distributor 33 is formed from a permeable material, such as filter paper, that may be attached to the lid 38 at a location within the perimeter 32. Thus, the flow distributor 33 may help prevent incoming liquid from flowing in a single direction (or two or more particular directions), which may "tunnel" liquid through the beverage medium 20 (scooping the beverage medium out of a flow path). This "breakthrough" can result in a short circuit where the liquid does not sufficiently interact with the beverage medium 20, resulting in an unacceptably poor product quality. However, the flow distributor 33 may take other forms, such as a perforated disc placed on the beverage medium 20, a piece of filter paper placed on the beverage medium 20, and others. Thus, the flow distributor 33 need not be attached to the lid 38 or filter 30, but may simply be placed in the first chamber with the beverage medium 20. In addition, or alternatively, the inlet needle 50 or other fluid inlet may be arranged to assist in distributing water or other liquid by, for example, directing multiple streams in several different directions across the beverage medium or the like. The flow distributor 33 may be arranged to be in contact with the inlet needle 50, or to avoid contact with the needle 50. If the flow distributor 33 is in contact with the needle 50, the flow distributor 33 may comprise a material that is strong enough and/or rigid enough to mitigate damage to the flow distributor 33 by the inlet needle 50. Non-limiting examples of such materials include: soft but strong materials; rigid but also brittle materials; stretchable or elastic but tear resistant materials; a strong and rigid material, and the like.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of forming a beverage using a cartridge as described above and/or of similar construction. As noted above, the buckets may take a variety of different arrangements, but in this illustrative embodiment have the same general form as shown in fig. 1-3. The cartridge may be used in a suitable beverage machine, such as any beverage machine capable of introducing cooled, carbonated and/or heated water into the cartridge and receiving a formed beverage from the cartridge. In one aspect of the invention, the cartridge may be used to form a beverage when the cartridge is positioned with the lid 38 below the container 12, as generally shown in FIG. 4. While the bucket 10 may position the lid 38 (e.g., a portion of the lid) along a horizontal plane or a vertical plane when in use, one aspect of the present invention positions the lid 38 in a plane transverse to the horizontal plane, such as in a plane at an angle of about 20 to 70 degrees relative to the horizontal plane. This orientation may provide several advantages, including enabling the beverage medium to be more fully wetted and/or the beverage to be more fully drained from the cartridge. The orientation shown in fig. 4 may provide for liquid introduced into the cartridge to better wet the beverage medium 20 or otherwise interact with the beverage medium 20, as liquid may be able to "flood" the interior space of the cartridge 10, e.g., filling at least a portion of the first and second chambers 14a, 14b with liquid, such that all or most of the beverage medium 20 is saturated with liquid. According to another aspect of the invention, the keg 10 may be provided with a vent separate from the beverage outlet, which vent allows gas to escape from the keg when the keg is filled with liquid. The vent may be provided by a one-way valve (e.g., a septum, duckbill valve, or other valve) attached to the lid 38 or container and opening in response to increased pressure within the cartridge 10, by a piercing member 54 that pierces the lid 38 (as shown in fig. 4) or container 12 to allow gas and/or liquid to escape, and by other mechanisms. (although member 54 is described as providing a vent for cartridge 10, member 54 may also or instead provide other functions in addition to or instead of venting the cartridge 10. for example member 54 may provide alternate fluid inflow and/or outflow paths, and/or may be used to introduce air pressure into cartridge 10, e.g., to help expel any residual beverage out of cartridge 10 at the end of a beverage forming cycle. further, while member 54 is shown as a single piercing needle, member 54 may be otherwise arranged like inlet member 50 and outlet member 52. for example, member 54 may include one or more blades, tubes, knives, solid or hollow needles, etc. to provide venting, liquid inlet and outlet, and/or purging functions.)

Positioning the lid 38 in a plane transverse to the horizontal plane may also allow for better drainage of the beverage from the cartridge 10. That is, since the tub 10 is inclined such that one side of the tub is lower than the other side, the beverage may tend to be discharged to the lower side of the tub. Further, a beverage outlet opening may be formed at or near the lower side so that all or most of any liquid within the cartridge 10 may be removed. This configuration may provide at least two advantages, including reducing dripping or undesirable leakage of liquid when a user removes the cartridge from the beverage maker and/or more complete and efficient use of the beverage medium because little or no beverage may remain in the cartridge.

Although the above-described embodiments include the beverage medium 20 only within the first chamber 14a, these embodiments may also include the beverage medium (the same or different than within the first chamber 14 a) within the second chamber 14b or other portion of the cartridge. For example, the cartridge may include roasted coffee grounds in the first chamber 14b and creamer and sweetener in the second chamber 14b, enabling the cartridge to form a cappuccino or latte-like beverage. In another embodiment, the first chamber 14a may include ground coffee and the second chamber 14b may include hot chocolate material, enabling the cartridge to form a mocha-type beverage. Other combinations will occur to those skilled in the art, such as tea leaves in the first chamber and dry fruit material in the second chamber, dry fruit material in the first chamber and cream/sweetener in the second chamber, and so forth. In certain embodiments, a further filter may be provided, for example to separate the beverage medium in the second chamber from the fluid outlet. For example, a filter may be attached to the lid 38 in the region where the outlet needle pierces the lid 38 to allow beverage to exit the cartridge only after passing through the additional filter.

As described above, aspects of the present invention may be implemented in buckets having different shapes, sizes, and/or configurations. For example, fig. 5 shows an illustrative embodiment of a bucket 10, the bucket 10 including a relatively rigid or hard rim 19 (e.g., comprising an annular member made of a plastic material), the rim 19 being attached to a container 12 (e.g., a thin polymer sheet) made of a relatively soft material. The lid 38 and filter 30 are attached to the top surface of the rim 19, and the lid 38 and filter 30 may be arranged as in the embodiment of fig. 1-3. That is, the cover 38 may also be made of a relatively soft material (such as foil) and carry a filter 30 made of filter paper attached to the cover 38 at the perimeter 32, the perimeter 32 being spaced inwardly from the rim 19. The beverage medium 20 (not shown) may be contained within the filter 30 (and/or outside the filter within the container 12) and an optional flow distributor 33 (not shown) may be provided if desired. This embodiment may provide such advantages, such as reduced weight and material usage, for example, due to a smaller amount of material used for the container 12. Moreover, to the extent that the cartridge 10 requires structural support (e.g., to enable proper piercing of the lid 38 to form the inlet and outlet openings), the rim 19 may provide the required support without the aid of the container 12. Thus, the cartridge of fig. 5 can be used in the orientation shown in fig. 4, and the lid 38 and filter 30 can be removed (e.g., by peeling) from the rim 19 and container 12, if desired.

Fig. 6 shows another illustrative embodiment of a bucket 10 incorporating aspects of the present invention. In this embodiment, the cartridge 10 includes a lid 38 (e.g., including a foil/polymer laminate as described above) attached to the filter 30 at the perimeter 32. However, in this embodiment, the filter 30 includes an impermeable cylindrical member 34 and a permeable filter paper 35, the impermeable cylindrical member 34 extending from the lid 38, and the permeable filter paper 35 attached to the bottom of the cylindrical member 34. The lid 38 and filter 30 are associated with the rim 19 and container 12 by, for example, bonding the lid 38 to the rim 19 such that the filter 30 is located within the interior space of the container 12. The container 12 may have any suitable form and may, for example, comprise a cup-shaped member made of moulded plastics material. The beverage medium 20 may be located within the cylindrical member 34 such that when liquid is introduced into the cylindrical member 34, the beverage may pass through the filter paper 35. Alternatively, the beverage medium 20 may be disposed within the container 12 and outside the filter 30. In this case, the filter 30 may help prevent the beverage medium 20 from contacting the liquid inlet and/or help retain the beverage medium 20 within the cartridge in a particular configuration, such as helping to keep the beverage medium 20 compacted against the sidewalls and bottom of the container 12. With the beverage medium 20 outside of the filter 30, water or other liquid can be introduced into the cartridge from an area outside of the filter 30 (e.g., from a portion of the lid 38 outside of the perimeter 32 into the second chamber 14b) and beverage can be drained from the cartridge from an area inside of the filter (e.g., from the first chamber 14a via an opening of the lid 38 inside the perimeter 32).

This embodiment is helpful in illustration, the filter 30 may be made of two or more pieces and may include impermeable as well as permeable portions. The impermeable portion may help to direct the flow of liquid in a desired manner, such as in the case of fig. 6, so that liquid introduced through the opening in the lid 38 must travel along the length of the cylindrical member 34 before being expelled through the filter paper 35. In another embodiment, the cylindrical member 34 may be made permeable and the filter paper 35 may be made impermeable so that liquid flows only through the cylindrical member 34. In another embodiment, one or more portions of the cylindrical member 34 may be made impermeable (e.g., the cylindrical band proximate the lid 38 may be impermeable) and one or more other portions may be made permeable (e.g., the cylindrical band proximate the filter paper 35 may be permeable). Of course, these are just a few illustrative embodiments, and other arrangements are possible. For example, the shape, size, or configuration of the cylindrical member 34 may vary, such as being rectangular, triangular, frustoconical, spherical, or otherwise shaped. Further, the filter paper 35 may have any shape, size, or configuration, for example, need not be flat or round, and may be replaced with other permeable members such as a perforated plastic disk. In short, the filter 30 may be arranged in any suitable manner.

Fig. 7 shows another illustrative embodiment of a rectangular tub 10. In this embodiment, the container 12 is shaped like a rectangular box and has a rectangular rim 19. The lid 38 and filter 30 (also having a rectangular box shape) have been attached to the rim 19 in a similar manner as described above. This embodiment illustrates that aspects of the invention are not limited to circular shapes for the rim 19 and/or other bucket components. Rather, there may be any irregular or other suitable shape for the barrel component. For example, fig. 8 shows an embodiment of the tub 10 having a rim 19 and a container 12, the rim 19 and the container 12 forming a cup shape with a spout structure. The lid 38 may have a corresponding shape and may be arranged such that an outlet opening may be formed in the lid 38 inside the rim 19 and spout area of the container 12. This may assist in the draining of beverage from the container 12, for example when the cartridge is properly oriented, the beverage may tend to drain into the spout area. The spout feature or other irregular shape may also provide an indexing or positioning feature that helps ensure that the cartridge 10 is associated with the beverage machine in a particular manner. For example, the bucket shown in fig. 8 may be used in an orientation like that shown in fig. 4, with the spout feature located at or near the outlet 52. The spout may facilitate the draining of beverage from the cartridge to the outlet 52, as the spout may be used to ensure that the cartridge is positioned with the spout at or near the outlet 52. It may also be helpful to use a spout or other indicating structure to ensure bucket orientation if the bucket 10 includes a readable feature, such as a bar code, RFID tag, or other machine readable code. That is, the spout may help ensure that the bucket is rotationally positioned in a particular location so that the machine can correctly read the readable feature. The spout feature (or other suitable arrangement) may also provide a convenient location for a pull tab provided for the lid 38 so that the lid 38 and filter 30 can be removed from the rim 19 by, for example, peeling the lid 38 away from the rim 19.

Fig. 9 shows yet another illustrative embodiment of the bucket 10 in which the lid 38 comprises two parts. Specifically, the lid 38 includes an outer portion 38a attached to the rim 19 and an inner portion 38b attached to the outer portion 38a (e.g., after beverage medium is provided into the space defined by the filter 30). This embodiment may provide the advantage that: at least a portion of the lid is allowed to attach to the rim 19 and container 12 prior to placing the beverage medium 20 into the cartridge 10. That is, the outer portion 38a of the cover 38 may be attached to the rim 19, with the filter 30 attached to the outer portion 38a, without the inner portion 38b of the cover 38 being put in place. Thereafter, the beverage medium 20 may be provided through an opening in the outer portion 38a, and the inner portion 38b is attached to the outer portion 38a to close the opening. The outer portion 38a and the inner portion 38b may be made of different materials, for example the outer portion 38a may be made of a relatively thick and stiff plastic material and the inner portion 38b may be made of a relatively thin and flexible foil material. In this case, outer portion 38a may provide structure for tub 10 that allows rim 19 to be made of a relatively soft and/or thin material, e.g., rim 19 may be a portion of container 12 that is bonded to outer portion 38a, wherein container 12 is made of a thin polymer sheet.

The cartridge according to aspects of the invention may be used in any suitable beverage machine. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a beverage forming apparatus 100, which beverage forming apparatus 100 may be used to form any suitable beverage, such as tea, coffee, other brewed beverages, beverages formed from liquid or powdered concentrates, hot or cold beverages, and the like. In the illustrative embodiment, the device 100 includes an external frame or housing 6, the external frame or housing 6 having a user interface 8, the user interface 8 being operable by a user to control various features of the device 100. The beverage cartridge 10 may be provided to the apparatus 100 and used to form a beverage that is placed into a cup or other suitable container placed on a drip tray 9 or other support, if present. The cartridge 10 may be manually or automatically placed within a cartridge receiving portion defined by the first portion 3 and the second portion 4 of the beverage forming apparatus 100. For example, by lifting the handle 5, the user can move the first and second portions 3, 4 to an open position to expose an appropriately shaped area in which the bucket 10 can be placed. After placement of the cartridge 10, a handle 5 or other actuator may be manually or automatically moved to move the first and second portions 3, 4 to the closed position (as shown in fig. 10), thereby at least partially enclosing the cartridge 10 within the brew chamber. However, it should be understood that the cartridge 10 may be received by the apparatus 100 in any suitable manner, as the manner in which the apparatus 100 receives or otherwise uses the cartridge 10 is not critical to aspects of the invention.

Once the cartridge 10 is received, the beverage forming apparatus 100 may use the cartridge 10 to form a beverage. For example, one or more inlet needles 50 (see fig. 3 or 4) associated with the first portion 3 or the second portion 4 may pierce the cartridge 10 to inject hot water or other liquid into the cartridge 10. The first portion 3 or the second portion 4 may also include one or more outlet needles or other members 52 to pierce or puncture the cartridge 10 on the outlet side (as desired) to allow the formed beverage to exit the cartridge 10.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic view of an infusion chamber structure that may be used in the beverage forming apparatus 100. In this illustrative embodiment, the first portion 3 includes a clamp 21 that is movable relative to a cartridge receiver 22. The second part 4 comprises a base 51, which base 51 is also movable relative to the cartridge receiver 22 and carries an inlet needle 50 and an outlet needle 52. To enclose the cartridge 10 within the brew chamber, the cartridge 10 is first placed within the cartridge receiver 22 such that the cartridge is held stationary by the receiver 22. In this embodiment, the receiver 22 includes a groove that mates with the rim 19 of the bucket 10, but the receiver 22 may hold the bucket in other ways, such as by mating with the container 12. Thereafter, clamp 21 and base 51 are moved toward drum receiver 22 such that clamp 21 engages rim 19 of drum 10 and presses rim 19 into contact with base 51. This fit may help form a seal between the base 51 and the rim 19 and the cover 38, for example, to help prevent liquid from leaking from the inlet needle 50 or the outlet needle 52. Pressing the rim 19/cover 38 into contact with the base 51 may also cause the needles 50 and 52 to pierce the cover 38 to form the inlet and outlet openings. With the cartridge properly held, water or other liquid may be introduced into cartridge 10 through inlet needle 50 and beverage received from the cartridge through outlet needle 52.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications can be made to the illustrative brew chamber structure. For example, the base 51 may carry two or more inlet needles 50 or outlet needles 52, the needles 50 and 52 may be replaced by a knife, a blade, a conical structure, one or more tubes, an opening in the base 51 for inflow/outflow, and/or any other suitable inlet and outlet structure, the piercing member (if provided) may be made to retract relative to the base, the base 51 may be made to remain stationary, and the cartridge moved relative to the base 51, and so on. Similarly, clamp 21 may have any suitable shape other than the annular shape shown, for example, clamp 21 may have a cup-like shape, clamp 21 may be made stationary and tub 10 and/or base 51 move relative to the clamp, clamp 21 and tub holder 22 may be integrated, among others. Further, while in this embodiment, the cartridge holder 22 holds the cartridge 10 in an inverted orientation with the lid 38 below the container 12 (as in FIG. 4), the cartridge may be used to form a beverage in any suitable orientation.

Fig. 12 shows a schematic block diagram of components included in a beverage forming apparatus 100, in an illustrative embodiment such as in fig. 10. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the beverage forming apparatus 100 may be configured in a variety of different ways, and thus, aspects of the present invention should not be construed narrowly as relating to only one type of beverage forming apparatus. Water and other liquids from the storage tank 110 may be supplied through a supply conduit 111 to a pump 112 (such as a centrifugal pump, piston pump, solenoid pump, etc.) which the pump 12 pumps the liquid through a pump conduit 115 to a metering tank or chamber 118. Operation of the water pump 112 and other components of the apparatus 100 may be controlled by a controller 130, the controller 130 including, for example, a programmed processor and/or other data processing device along with appropriate software or other operating instructions, one or more memories (including non-transitory storage media that may store software and/or other operating instructions), temperature and level sensors, pressure sensors, input/output interfaces, communication buses or other links, displays, switches, relays, triacs, or other components necessary to perform the required input/output or other functions. The metering tank 118 may be filled with the required amount of liquid by any suitable technique, such as running the pump 112 for a predetermined period of time, sensing the water level within the metering tank 118 using a conductive probe sensor or capacitive sensor as the liquid fills the tank, detecting a pressure rise within the metering tank 118, or using any other feasible technique. For example, the controller 130 may detect that the metering tank 118 is fully filled when the pressure sensor detects a pressure increase indicating that water has reached the top of the metering tank 118. The tank may be heated by a heating element 123 if desired, with the operation of the heating element 123 being controlled by the controller 130 using input from a temperature sensor or other suitable input. The water within the metering tank 118 may be dispensed through a metering tank conduit 119 to an infusion chamber 120 or other beverage forming station. The brew chamber 120 may include any beverage forming ingredient, such as ground coffee, tea, flavored drink mixes, or other substances contained within the cartridge 10, for example. Liquid may be discharged from the metering tank 118 by pressurizing the tank with air provided by an air pump 121, the air pump 21 having a liquid discharge line 117 and discharging into the tank conduit 119. Completion of dispensing from the metering tank 118 may be detected in any suitable manner, such as by detecting a pressure drop within the metering tank 118, by detecting a water level change within the metering tank 118, using a flow meter, or using any other feasible technique. The liquid may alternatively be discharged from the metering tank 118 by the pump 112, and the pump 12 operated to force additional liquid into the tank 118, thereby causing water to move out of the tank 118 and into the brew chamber. A flow sensor or other suitable device may be used to determine the amount of liquid delivered to the tank 118 and, thus, detect the amount of liquid delivered to the brew chamber. Alternatively, the pump 12 may be a piston-type or metering pump, such that a known amount of liquid may be delivered from the pump 112 to the tank 118, thus causing the same known amount to be delivered to the brew chamber 120. The liquid may be introduced into the barrel 10 at any suitable pressure, such as a pressure of 1-2psi or higher.

Another aspect of the invention includes a method of manufacturing a bucket. The steps of one such illustrative method are shown in FIG. 13. (the steps in fig. 13 and 14 are shown connected in phantom to indicate that the steps of the method may be performed in a different order than that shown and described in more detail below.) at step S10, a container is provided having an interior space and a rim defining an opening into the interior space. The container may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, paper, metal, and combinations of materials. Typically, the container is impermeable to liquid so that the beverage formed in the keg can be withdrawn in a controlled manner, but the container may have a permeable portion. Further, the container may have any suitable shape, such as a truncated cone, a sphere, a cylinder, a rectangular box, and the like. Furthermore, the container need not have a defined shape, but may be made of a soft material.

At step S20, the filter is attached to the lid at the perimeter. The perimeter is a closed boundary line where the filter is attached to the lid and extends away from the lid (e.g., into the interior space of the container). The filter may comprise any suitable material, such as filter paper, permeable or impermeable plastic material, sponge-like material, or the like. Further, the filter may include an impermeable member as well as a permeable member. For example, an impermeable plastic member may be attached to the lid and may provide structural support for filter paper or other material attached to the plastic member. The filter may be of any suitable shape, size and/or permeability. For example, the filter may have regions of different permeability, thereby preventing or restricting flow through certain regions of the filter while promoting flow through other more permeable regions. Typically, the filter is not attached to the container, for example, so that the filter and lid can be removed from the container for recycling and/or synthesis. However, in some embodiments, the filter may be attached to the rim, e.g., a portion of the filter may be sandwiched between the cover and the rim.

At step S30, the lid is attached to the rim (e.g., so as to at least partially close the opening) with the perimeter spaced from the rim and the filter extending from the perimeter into the interior space. The filter may be arranged to separate the first chamber from the second chamber within the interior space. The lid may be attached to the rim in any suitable manner, such as heat or sonic welding, adhesive, chemical bonding, mechanical bonding, and the like. In some embodiments, the rim may include a groove or other structure that assists in removing the cover from the rim. The lid may be made of any suitable material, such as a foil, foil and polymer laminate, polymer material, etc., and may be permeable or impermeable. However, the lid is typically made of an impermeable material to assist in controlling the flow of liquid within the bucket.

At step S40, beverage medium is provided into the interior space of the cartridge, for example into a first chamber separated from a second chamber by a filter. The beverage medium may be arranged to interact with a liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage, and the beverage medium may include roast and ground coffee, tea leaves, instant coffee or tea, hot chocolate mix, powdered beverage mix, dried fruit material, sweetener, creamer, thickener, and/or any other suitable material for forming a beverage.

It should be understood that the steps in the method shown in fig. 13 may be performed in any suitable order. For example, in one embodiment, the beverage medium may be provided into the space defined by the filter prior to attaching the filter to the lid. In another embodiment, the beverage medium may be provided into the space defined by the filter after the filter is attached to the lid. For example, the filter may be attached to the lid and the beverage medium provided through an opening in the filter into the space defined by the filter. Thereafter, the opening in the filter can be closed by sealing the edges of the filter to each other around the opening. In another embodiment, the filter may be attached to the lid (e.g., as shown in fig. 9) and the beverage medium provided into the space defined by the filter either before or after the lid is attached to the container rim.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for forming a beverage, such as that shown in FIG. 14. In step S50, a bucket is provided, the bucket having: the container includes a container with an interior space, a rim defining an opening into the interior space, a lid attached to the rim and closing the container opening, and a filter attached to the lid at a perimeter spaced inwardly from and away from the rim. The filter extends from the perimeter into the interior space and separates the first chamber from the second chamber within the interior space. A beverage medium is located within the interior space, e.g., within the first chamber and/or the second chamber, and is arranged to interact with the liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage. As mentioned above, the container, rim, lid and filter may be made of any suitable material and in any suitable manner. Similarly, the beverage medium may include any suitable material for forming a beverage.

In step S60, the lid is pierced, for example near the center of the lid and away from the rim, to form a first opening to the first chamber. Piercing the cap may be performed by inserting a needle, blade, knife, or other suitable object through the cap, introducing water or other pressure into the cap to rupture the cap or open a valve or other structure for flow, and the like. In step S70, liquid is introduced into the first chamber through the first opening by injecting heated pressurized water, for example, by means of a needle that pierces the cap to form the first opening. Other techniques may also be used to introduce the liquid into the first chamber, such as inserting a tube through the first opening, mating an opening in a plate or other chamber with a cover near the first opening, and so forth.

At step S80, the beverage formed by the interaction of the liquid with the beverage medium flows through the filter to the second chamber. The flow of the beverage through the filter may remove particulate matter such as large coffee grounds, tea leaves or other from the beverage. At step S90, the lid is pierced to form a second opening to the second chamber, wherein the second opening is positioned closer to the rim than the first opening and between the perimeter and the rim. As discussed above, the piercing member may remain engaged with the cartridge after piercing, or may be withdrawn to allow the beverage to exit through the formed opening. Finally, in step S100, the beverage is taken out of the cartridge via the second opening.

The method shown in fig. 14 may also include additional steps including engaging the rim with a clamping mechanism prior to introducing the liquid into the first chamber. For example, the cartridge may cooperate with an infusion chamber structure like that of fig. 11 such that the rim of the cartridge is held in place, thereby reducing the likelihood of the lid becoming detached from the rim during infusion and/or reducing the likelihood of leakage. The cap and/or container may also be pierced to form a third opening to vent the interior space. This is also helpful for filling the interior space of the keg with liquid. The bucket may be positioned so that the lid is in a downward facing orientation, the container is above the lid, and the lid is in a plane transverse to the horizontal, for example as shown in fig. 11. The plane in which the lid is oriented may be at an angle of about 20 to 70 degrees from horizontal, which may facilitate beverage formation as described above. The cartridge may include a flow distributor attached to the lid, for example, between the lid and the beverage medium, to assist in distributing liquid introduced into the cartridge in a desired manner. After the beverage is formed, the lid can be peeled by hand from the rim, thereby removing the lid, filter, and beverage medium from the container as a single unit. For example, the lid may have a tab or other structure that can be grasped between the thumb and forefinger and used to peel the lid off the rim of the pail. Because the filter and beverage medium are attachable to the lid, any residue of the beverage medium after the filter and beverage are formed can be conveniently removed from the container, e.g., so the container can be recycled and the beverage medium retained and the filter synthesized.

Further, the steps in the method shown in fig. 14 may be performed in a different order than shown in fig. 14. For example, steps S60 and S90 may be performed simultaneously, or step S90 may be performed before step S60.

Having described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims (65)

1. A cartridge for forming a beverage, the cartridge comprising:

a container having an interior space;

a rim attached to the container and defining an opening to the interior space;

a lid attached to the rim and closing the opening of the container, the lid being made of a flexible sheet material;

a filter attached to the lid at a perimeter located away from the rim, the filter extending from the perimeter into the interior space and separating a first chamber from a second chamber within the interior space, the filter being unattached to the container; and

a beverage medium within the interior space and arranged to interact with liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage;

wherein the lid has a first portion pierceable by a beverage machine to allow pressurized liquid to flow into the interior space to form a beverage.

2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the lid further has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber, and wherein the lid and the container are impermeable.

3. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the container has a surface arranged to be pierced by a beverage machine to allow the beverage to exit the interior space, and the lid and the container are impermeable.

4. The bucket according to claim 1, wherein the filter is attached to the lid so as to form a gap between the perimeter and the rim.

5. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the lid further has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber, and wherein the second portion has an annular shape.

6. The bucket according to claim 1, wherein said first portion is located centrally of said lid and inside said perimeter.

7. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the lid further has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber, and wherein the second portion is closer to the rim than the first portion.

8. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the lid is arranged to be pierced with less force than the container.

9. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the beverage medium is within the first chamber.

10. The bucket according to claim 1, wherein the container has a frustoconical shape with a side wall and a bottom, the filter has a trough shape or a conical shape, and the filter is attached only to the lid.

11. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the beverage medium is within the first chamber, the cartridge further comprising a flow distributor between the first portion of the lid and the beverage medium.

12. The cartridge of claim 11, wherein the flow distributor is attached to the lid.

13. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the filter comprises permeable filter paper.

14. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the lid is manually peelable from a rim, the beverage medium is within the first chamber, and the filter is attached to the lid such that the filter and the beverage medium can be removed from the container with the lid when the lid is removed from the rim.

15. The bucket according to claim 1, further comprising: a flow distributor within the first chamber near a center of the lid and attached to the lid at a location corresponding to the first portion of the lid, the flow distributor positioned between the first portion of the lid and the beverage medium, an

Wherein the container has a frustoconical shape with a sidewall, an annular rim at an upper end of the sidewall, and a bottom at a lower end of the sidewall, the filter has a fluted cup or cone shape, and the upper end of the filter is attached to the lid only at the perimeter, and the lid has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber, the second portion being closer to the rim than the first portion.

16. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the container comprises a sidewall having a spout feature.

17. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the filter functions as a flow distributor and the beverage medium is located within the second chamber.

18. A method of forming a beverage comprising:

providing a bucket having: a container having an interior space with a first chamber and a second chamber; a rim defining an opening into the interior space; a lid made of a flexible sheet material attached to the rim and closing the container opening; and a filter attached to the lid at a perimeter spaced inwardly from and distal to the rim, the filter extending from the perimeter into the interior space and separating the first chamber from the second chamber and being unattached to the container; and a beverage medium within the interior space and arranged to interact with liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage;

piercing the lid near a center of the lid and away from the rim to form a first opening to the first chamber;

introducing a liquid into the first chamber via the first opening;

forming a beverage by interaction of the liquid with the beverage medium;

piercing the lid to form a second opening to the second chamber, the second opening being located closer to the rim than the first opening and between the perimeter and the rim;

withdrawing the beverage from the cartridge via the second opening.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

engaging the rim with a clamping mechanism prior to introducing liquid into the first chamber.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

piercing the cap to form a third opening to vent the interior space.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the cap comprises a foil and is more easily pierced than the container.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the cover is substantially flat, the method further comprising:

the lid is positioned in a face-down orientation with the container above the lid and the lid in a plane transverse to a horizontal plane.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the plane is at an angle of about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees from horizontal.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first opening is positioned above the second opening.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the second opening is formed in an annular portion of the cover between the perimeter and the rim.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the beverage medium is located in the first chamber, and the introducing step comprises:

passing liquid through a flow distributor into the portion of the first chamber in which the beverage medium is located.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the flow distributor is attached to the lid within the interior space.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the beverage medium is positioned within the second chamber, the method further comprising interacting with a liquid flowing from the first chamber into the second chamber within the second chamber to form a beverage.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the beverage medium is located within the first chamber, the method further comprising:

manually peeling the lid from the rim to remove the lid, the filter, and the beverage medium from the container as a single unit.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein the beverage medium is located within the first chamber, the method further comprising:

flowing a beverage formed by interaction of the liquid with the beverage medium through the filter to the second chamber.

31. A method of manufacturing a cartridge for a beverage machine, the method comprising:

providing a container having an interior space and a rim defining an opening into the interior space;

attaching a filter to a cover at a perimeter, the cover being made of a flexible sheet material;

attaching the lid to the rim to close the opening after the filter is attached to the lid, and such that the filter is only attached to the lid and not attached to the container, the perimeter being spaced apart from the rim, and the filter extending from the perimeter into the interior space and separating a first chamber from a second chamber within the interior space; and

providing a beverage medium within the interior space, the beverage being arranged to interact with a liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the lid has a first portion pierceable by a beverage machine to allow liquid to flow into the first chamber to form a beverage.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first portion is located within the perimeter and at a center of the cover.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the lid has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the second portion is between the perimeter and the rim and has an annular shape.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the container has a surface arranged to be pierced by a beverage machine to allow the beverage to exit the interior space.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the beverage medium is within the second chamber.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the container has a frustoconical shape with a sidewall and a bottom, the filter has a trough shape or a conical shape, and the filter is attached only to the lid.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising: a flow distributor is provided between the lid and the beverage medium.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the flow distributor is attached to the lid.

41. The method of claim 31, wherein the lid is manually peelable from a rim, the beverage medium is within the first chamber, and the filter is attached to the lid such that the filter and the beverage medium are removable from the container with the lid when the lid is removed from the rim.

42. The method of claim 31, wherein the beverage medium is within the first chamber.

43. A beverage system comprising:

beverage machine, comprising:

a cartridge receiver arranged to receive a cartridge;

a fluid inlet arranged to introduce liquid into the barrel via a first opening therein;

a fluid outlet arranged to receive beverage from the cartridge via a second opening in the cartridge; and

a cartridge arranged to be received by the cartridge receiver of the beverage machine, the cartridge comprising:

a container having an interior space and a rim defining an opening to the interior space;

a lid attached to the rim and closing the opening of the container, the lid being made of a flexible sheet material;

a filter attached to the lid at a perimeter located away from the rim, the filter being attached only to the lid and extending from the perimeter into the interior space and separating a first chamber from a second chamber within the interior space; and

a beverage medium within the interior space and arranged to interact with liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage;

wherein the lid has a first portion that is pierceable by the beverage machine to allow fluid to flow into the first chamber via the fluid inlet to form the beverage, and a second portion that is pierceable by the beverage machine to allow the beverage to flow out of the cartridge to the fluid outlet.

44. A system as in claim 43, wherein the beverage machine comprises a clamping mechanism that engages the rim of the cartridge.

45. The system of claim 43, further comprising:

a vent to vent the interior space of the tub via a third opening in the lid.

46. The system of claim 43, wherein the lid comprises a flexible sheet material that is more easily pierced than the container.

47. The system of claim 43, wherein the lid is substantially flat and the cartridge receiver is arranged to position the lid in a downward facing orientation with the container above the lid and the lid in a plane transverse to a horizontal plane.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the plane is angled from about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees from horizontal.

49. The system of claim 43, wherein the fluid inlet is positioned above the fluid outlet.

50. A system according to claim 43, wherein the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are each arranged to pierce the cap to form the first and second openings, respectively.

51. A cartridge for forming a beverage, the cartridge comprising:

a container having an interior space;

a rim attached to the container and defining an opening to the interior space;

a lid attached to the rim and closing the opening of the container;

a filter attached to the lid at a filter perimeter located inwardly from and away from the rim forming a gap between the filter perimeter and the rim, the filter extending from the filter perimeter into the interior space and separating a first chamber from a second chamber within the interior space, the filter being unattached to the container and other portions of the tub;

a flow distributor attached to the lid at a perimeter remote from the rim, the flow distributor extending from the perimeter into the interior space and separating a first region from a second region within the flow distributor within the interior space, the flow distributor being unattached to the container and arranged to alter the flow of liquid introduced into the first region; and

a beverage medium within the interior space and arranged to interact with liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage;

wherein the lid has a first portion pierceable by a beverage machine to allow liquid to flow into the first region.

52. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein the lid has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the interior space, and wherein the lid and the container are impermeable.

53. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein the container has a surface arranged to be pierced by a beverage machine to allow the beverage to exit the interior space, and the lid and the container are impermeable.

54. The bucket according to claim 51, wherein the flow distributor is attached to the lid so as to form a gap between the perimeter and the filter perimeter.

55. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein the lid further has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the interior space, and wherein the second portion has an annular shape.

56. The bucket according to claim 51, wherein said first portion is located centrally in said lid and inside said perimeter.

57. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein the lid further has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber, and wherein the second portion is closer to the rim than the first portion.

58. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein the lid is flexible and arranged to be pierced with less force than the container.

59. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein said beverage medium is in said second region.

60. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein the container has a frustoconical shape with a sidewall and a bottom, the flow distributor being attached only to the lid.

61. The cartridge of claim 51, wherein the flow distributor is between the first portion of the lid and the beverage medium.

62. The cartridge of claim 61, wherein the lid is manually peelable from the rim, and the filter and the flow distributor are attached to the lid such that the filter, the flow distributor, and the beverage medium can be removed from the container with the lid when the lid is removed from the rim.

63. The cartridge of claim 59, wherein the flow distributor is attached to the lid within the first chamber near a center of the lid and at a location corresponding to the first portion of the lid, and

wherein the container has a frustoconical shape with a sidewall, a rim at an upper end of the sidewall, and a bottom at a lower end of the sidewall, the filter has a fluted cup or cone shape, and an upper end of the filter is attached to the lid only at the filter perimeter, and the lid has a second portion that is pierceable by a beverage machine to allow beverage to flow from the second chamber, the second portion being closer to the rim than the first portion.

64. The cartridge of claim 63, wherein the container comprises a sidewall having a spout feature.

65. A cartridge for forming a beverage, the cartridge comprising:

a container having a sidewall and a bottom defining an interior space, the sidewall including a spout extending thereon;

a rim attached to the container and defining an opening to the interior space, the spout extending from near the bottom of the container to the rim;

a lid attached to the rim and closing the opening of the container, the lid being made of a flexible sheet material;

a filter attached to the lid at a perimeter located away from the rim, the filter extending from the perimeter into the interior space and separating a first chamber from a second chamber within the interior space, the filter being unattached to the container; and

a beverage medium within the interior space and arranged to interact with liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage;

wherein the lid has a first portion pierceable by a beverage machine to allow liquid to flow into the first chamber.